Grain -separator and grader



IVILLIAM \V. INGRAIIAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GRAIN SEPARATOR AND GRADER.

part of Letters Patent No, 367,654, dated November 42, 188

SPEGIFICATIQN forming Application filed February 17. 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. INGRA- HAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, in the State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GrainSeparators and Graders, which are fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is a side elevation of my improved separator and grader.Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same broken away at the upper edge.Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the same similarly broken away. Fig. 4 isa section on the line a in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 1 yin Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detailed front View of the hopper and suctiontrunk or chute, the former being-shown in section.

The same letters denote the same parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to apparatus for separating grain from the refusewhich is mingled with it as it comes from the granary and for separatingthe different grades from each other. The object of it is to effect boththese results by one machine, and more readily and economically than ithas heretofore been done.

To this end the invention consists in the several devices andcombinations of devices, which will be set forth hereinafter, anddelinitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A denotes a separatingchamber constructed on the samegeneral principle as that shown in Patent No. 130,80t, granted to John0. Hunt and in. \V. Ingraham, August 27, 1872; but instead ofterminating at the bottom, like the chamber there shown, in fourinversely-pyra1nidal pockets each with an opening at the apex, it hasonly two pockets, each a triangular prism in general shape, extendingfrom side to side of the machine, and having an opening, a or a, alongthe bottom edge. A hinged valve, (E, closes each of these openings, thepressure of air outside being sufficient, when the air within thechamber is exhausted by the operation of the fan, to keep these valvesclosed until the weight of grain from above forces them open. A man-holein the back wall of the chamber facilitates cleaning it out, and isclosed at other times by a shutter, c". A fan-case, B, is supportedvertically, front and rear, in the close the central openings 12 whendesired. A

shaft, B, which has bearings in the sides of the machine, and receivespower by means of a band-wheel, B or other equivalent device at its end,passes through the center of the fa11-case,withi11 which it carries afanB The revolution of this fan in such a direction that its upper wingswill approach the dischargeopening I) will obviously produce a currentof air from the separating-chamber into the central openings of the caseback discharge-openin Above the separating chamber and fan-case a shoeor shakenll extending nearly all the way from front to rear of themachine, and

sloping downward and forward at an angle of 7 5 about eighty degrees toa perpendicular, is supported front and rear on bars D and D of springmetal or other elastic material which allows it to oscillate back andforth. It is in form a nearly square box with the upper part of itsfront cut away. It has a transverse depression in its bottom near thefront, so as to form a sort of trough, at the ends of which are smallopenings 0 for the discharge ofgrassseed, cocklc, sand, and otherlikerefuse. The

cocklc-sieve Ucovers this depression. Above this, and parallel with it,are set in the shoe one or more grain-sieves, (3 the number be ingvaried according to the kind of grain to be separated, the coarsestsieve (when several are used) being uppermost, the next below beingfiner, and so on. The refuse which is rejected by the upper sievespasses down into an inclined trough, 0", open at its lower end,

arranged on the upper edge of the truncated 5 front of the shoe, and thegrain passes over the cockle-sievc and down through a trans verseopening, 0, in the bottom of the shoe near the front, and so into thepassages lead It has in 55 and out at the 70 ing to thescparating-chamber. From the upper edge of the back of the shoe a shelf,C, projects backward, having the same inclination as the sieves. Alittle above this, on a pair of standards, E, at each end rests ahopper, E, extending the whole length of the shelf 0 and projecting alittle in front of it. 1t is trough-shaped, and has in its bottom anarrow opening extending the length of the shelf; Outside it isflat-bottomed, but its front inner wall, 6, slopes down to the edge ofthe opening, and its back inner wall, 0, sloping at a greater angleterminates almost vertically above the lower edge of the front innerwall. Immediately under the lower edge of the back wall, a, is arock-shaft, F, havingits bearings in the ends of the hopper. Teeth fproject from this shaft toward the front inner wall, stopping barelyshort of contact with it. They are arranged at suitable distances apartto allow the grain to pass through, but arrest the straw and likerefuse. Against the-outer back wall, 0, of the hopper, about half-waybetween the top and bottom, terminates the back wall, of a suction trunkor chute, G. This wall curves slightly forward at its upper end to meetthe back wall of the hopper, but otherwise it is upright. The frontwall, g, is parallel with the other up to within a short distance of thehopper,where it turns abruptly into a direction parallel with the backouter wall, 0", of the hopper and continues in this direction to withinabout an inch of the shelf 0, thus forming in conjunction with the backof the hopper an upward passage into the chute G. This chute extends thewhole width of the shoe, and rests on the roof of the separating-chamberand the top of the fan-ease, being shortened in the middle to allow thefan-case to pass through, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6 of the drawings. Itis closed at the sides and at the bottom also, except where it rests onthe separating-chamber A. There it opens into that chamber, as shown inFig. 4, but may be wholly or partly shut off from it by means ofslide-valves G", operated from the back of the machine. Vhen the fan isin motion, drawing the air from the separating chamber A, andconsequently from the chute G, it is obvious that as soon as the grainfalls from the hopper on the shelf 0 at the back of the shoe, the chaffand other light refuse will be caught up by a current of air and carriedup between the deflected front wall, g, of the chute and the outer backwall, 0", of the 110pper into the chute, through the chute into theseparating-chamber; thence through the openings 7) into the fan-case andout through the discharge I). The force of the current may be regulatedby means of the slide-valves G, so as to make sure of carrying off thechaff and not carrying off the light grain. One or more openings, 0, inthe front of the shoe insures a sufficient current of air along andbetween the sieves. This current passes up through the openings of theuppermost sieve, and thence below and behind the hopper into thesuctiontrunk G. The fan-shaft B carries a pulley or band wheel, B",which, by means of a belt or chain, H, and a pulley or band wheel, J,

communicates motion to a shaft, J, parallel with the fan-shaft, andhaving its bearings in standards J on top of the separating-chamber andnear the sides of the machine. This shaft J is crank-shaped at each end,so that its revo- 7c lution imparts a reciprocating motion to each ofthe horizontal connecting-rods K, which link the shaft J at each end tothe shoe 0. The turning of the fan-shaft, therefore, gives the shoe arapid backward and forward motion. This motion will ordinarily be rapidenough with a band-wheel on the fan-shaft considerably smaller inproportion than that shown in the drawings. A connecting-rod, L, on eachside of the shoe is pivoted also to the lower end of a rocking arm, F,at each end of the shaft F, and thus communicates to the teethf at thelower opening of the hopper an oscillating motion, which separates thestraw from the grain and throws the former toward the front of thehopper. The breadth of the opening in the bottom of the hopper isregulated by slide-valves E operated from the front. On drawing theseout so as togive the opening its full width, the straw will be carrieddown by the current of grain onto the topmost sieve, and can be drawnoff at the front of the shoe. This operation will take but a moment, andthe valves can then be replaced, so that the separation of grain fromstraw may proceed as before. 7

It is obvious that the forward slope of the shoe 0, in conjunction withthe weight of the grain on. it, will cause it to move forward much morereadily than backward. To equalize the motion, I attach to the forwardend of each connecting-rod K and to the front of the ma chine a spring,M, (shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings,) whose elasticity tends to push therod, and consequently the shoe, back to the limit of its motion in thatdirection. I thus make the vibration of the shoe equal in velocity andforce both ways. The springs'M may conveniently be arranged behind thefront supports, D, of the shoe, and may be adjusted by set-screwspassing through those supports.

On the front of the machine, and extending its whole width, are threeparallel passages of different length, one in front of the other, eachcurving backwardly in. its upper part and perpendicular in its lowerpart. The outermost of these, N, is closed at both ends, but has in itsouter wall near the upper end an opening, a, corresponding to theopening 0 in the bottom of the shoe. Through this opening the siftedgrain falls from the cockle-sieve O to the bottom of the passage, whichslopes downward and inward, as shown in Fig. 4. The rear wall of thispassage does not extend quite to the bottom, leaving an opening, a,through which the grain falls into the second passage, 0. the same withthe rear wall of, the passage N, so far as that extends, but iscontinued below the bottom of the passage N'by a short apron or strip,o, which in turn stops short of the The front wall of this secondpassage is bottom of the passage 0. The bottom of O is the samedistance, and of course considerably beyond the front wall of 0. On itsforward edge is raised another strip, 0, to a level with the bottom ofthe strip 0, thus leaving a nearly horizontal opening between the two,through which air is admitted to thepassageO. This passage opens at itsupper end into the upper part of the separating-chamber A, but may beclosed by a hinged valve, 0, operated by crank-arms, at its ends, movingin quadrantal guides O on the outer sides of the machine. The rear wallof the passage 0, like that of N, stops short of the bottom, leaving asimilar opening, 0 into the third pas sage, 1. The breadth of thisopening regu lated according to the amount of grain which is to passthrough it bya-slide, Q, having vertical slots q, so that it isadjustable at different heights by screw-clamps q. The opening can thusbe made barely large enough for the passage of thegrain, leaving nospace for any current of air. The passage 1? is open at both ends; butits upper end may be closed by a valve, P, operated by crank arms P inguides 1", similar to those just described. its upper end communicates,like that of the passage 0, with the separating-chamber A. Each passagehas arranged in its walls one or more projecting ledges, S,with uppersurfaces sloping downwardly and outwardly, so as to check the momentumwithwhich the grain descends through the passage. While the tan-wheel isin motion, drawing the air from the separating-chamber, the valves 0 andI? being open, there will necessarily be a current of air into theopening between the strips 0 0, which will meet the stream of grain assoon as it falls from the bottom of thepassage N into the passage 0 andcarry up the light, shrunken, and unsound grain, as well as any lightrefuse which may still be mixed with it, through the passage 0 into theseparatingchamber A, where the heaviest ot' the grain thus taken fallsthrough the opening a at the bottom of the front division of thechamber, the lighter is carried onto the rear division and falls throughthe opening a at the bottom of it, while the dust, chat't', &c., whichhad not previouslyseparated from it are drawn into the faircase throughthe central openings, I), and discharged at the back of the machinethrough the opening I). Meanwhile the first grade of grain, too heavy tobe lifted by the current of air, slides down the inclined bottom of thepassage 0 into the passage P, where it undergoes a second separation,its remaining light elements being carried up the latter passage by theair-current into the separatirig-chamber, there to be disposed of in theway just described, while the I sound grain falls out at the bottom ofthe passage I.

By means of the oscillating valve R, e;v;- tending from side to side ofthe separatingchamber A, at the highest part of the bottom, and operatedby external cranks R in guides R in the same manner as the valve 0, heretol'ore described, a partition may be raised between the front and reardivisions of the chamber, so high that little or no grain will pass overit. All the grain that enters the chamber will thus be dischargedthrough the opening a, the dust and chatt' being carried over the valveR and into the fan-ease. By closing the valve 0 or P the whole currentof air will evidently be directed through the open passage 0 or P, andwill thus exert on the grain a single separating operation of increasedforce. Should any light grain be carried with the first elimination ofthe chaff into the back chute, G, it will fall to the bottom of the reardivision of the separatingchamber and pass out at the opening a.

'What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1.. The hopper having the converging walls 6 and 0*, and a bottomopening between them, and the inner wall, 0, arranged as described, therock-shaft F, arranged immediately below the projecting edge of the wall0, and provided with the downwardly projecting teeth f, means forrocking the shaft upwardly, and the slide-valve Ff, arranged asdescribed, all in combination. substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The vibrating shoe 0, the hopper E, arranged on independent supportsabove the shoe and havingalongitudinal dischargeoperr ing, therock-shaft F, arranged on one edge of this opening, and provided withteeth projecting across the opening, the rocking arms F, and means forcommunicating to the rocking arms the motion of the shoe, all incombination, substantially as and for the purpose described.

The parallel and communicating grainpassage N. and suction-passages Oand P, the passage 0 being provided with an air-inlet below the bottomot the passage N, in combination with the adjustable valve Q, arrangedon the upper margin of the opening between the passages O and 1, for thepurpose ol'rcgulating the entrance of grain and preventing the entranceof air through said opening, substantially as described.

YVILLIAM \V. INGRAHAM.

\Vitnesses:

Tnonas H. PEASIG, \V. C. Conrrns.

ICO

